"Good Figure but... Get a Front Slit" Woman Suffers from Appearance Criticism

Appearance Criticism Victims Three Times More Among Male Office Workers
Workplace Bullying 119 "Appearance Evaluation Is Clear Discrimination"

One in three female office workers reported having experienced criticism of their appearance.

On the 7th, the labor rights organization Workplace Bullying 119 announced that female office workers suffer not only from sexual harassment and assault but also from appearance-related bullying such as criticism and belittlement of their looks.

This was confirmed through a survey conducted by the public opinion research firm Embrain Public, which polled 1,000 office workers from October 14 to 21 last year about "everyday workplace gender violence excluding sexual harassment and assault."

36.3% of Women Experienced Appearance Criticism

According to the survey, 36.3% of female respondents reported experiencing criticism of their appearance. Answers indicating experience of interference with appearance and belittlement of appearance were 24.4% and 22.8%, respectively. The experience of being pressured to undergo plastic surgery was reported by 6.3%.

In contrast, compared to women, men reported relatively fewer experiences of appearance criticism. Among men, 17.0% experienced appearance belittlement, while appearance criticism and interference were recorded at 13.2% and 11.4%, respectively.

On the same day, Workplace Bullying 119 held a press conference titled "The Birth of the Working Venus" in front of the Finance Building in Jung-gu, Seoul, revealing the case of Jin Gayoung (a pseudonym), who suffered appearance bullying while working at a fashion company.

At the time, Jin was subjected to appearance bullying from her superior at work for six months, with comments such as, "Gayoung is pretty and has a good figure for someone who hasn’t had plastic surgery. But please get your nose and front eye corners fixed," and "Your skin is getting worse. You look very different from before. You should put something on it."

However, Jin experienced secondary victimization from the company. The company reportedly asked her to overlook the incident, saying, "If your statement is true, there would be many people getting fired from our company."

One in three female office workers reported having experienced criticism about their appearance.
[Photo by Jikjang Gapjil 119]

Kim Hanul, a labor attorney affiliated with the Women’s Division of the Labor Attorneys Association for the Realization of Labor Rights, stated, "Appearance control imposed on female workers by exploiting gender superiority not only causes mental distress but also demands additional labor," emphasizing, "Appearance evaluation, criticism, and control constitute workplace harassment and sexual harassment and are clear discrimination."

Kang Eunhee, a lawyer at Workplace Bullying 119 (Gonggam Public Interest Human Rights Foundation), pointed out, "Among workplace sexual harassment cases, appearance criticism and belittlement, as forms of appearance control, are overwhelmingly more experienced by women than men."

Finally, regarding such workplace appearance evaluations, Workplace Bullying 119 stressed, "Appearance bullying, which infringes on workers’ dignity, clearly falls under harassment, and legal and institutional measures to prevent and regulate it must be established."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.